FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

BELA-BELA, 17 Mar. 10- After one of the four Bela-Bela public schools received a zero percent matriculation pass rate in 2009, the youth of Bela-Bela decided ‘enough is enough’ – something had to be done. As 2010 dawned, a group of young people from the sunshine town calling themselves the Bela-Bela Education Advocacy Group (BBEAG) was formed. BBEAG’s main objectives are 1) to stop the deterioration of the education standards and 2) to improve Bela-Bela public schools’ matriculation results using various intervention measures.


 A little over the town, a former model C school performed exceptionally well with matriculation passes tipping over 80% with a majority of their learners being accepted into major tertiary institutions and colleges of further education and training (FETs). Just as Basic Education Minister, Mrs Angie Motshekgoa has said, ‘there is nothing wrong with the education of the White child, but everything wrong with the education of the African child’. The BBEAG takes this truism as a challenge and would publicly like to accept the challenge to prove to all and sundry, that the youth of this country are not apathetic to positive activism, education activism included. BBEAG is planning to actively combat this malady and appeal on anyone with the right mentality and motivation to join the BBEAG.


 

BBEAG is taking a first step in this challenge and as a result we would be convening the first youth-driven, apolitical education summit in our town next Saturday, 27th March 2010, at the Bela-Bela Showground. This maiden annual education summit would draw people from various walks of life in and around Bela-Bela to ‘brainstorm’ and chart a way forward for public education. Among key luminaries at the summit would be the mayoress of Bela-Bela, Councillor H.M Ledwaba, who is the keynote speaker of the event. School teachers, principals, school governing bodies, learner’s leadership, the local South African Police Services, the department of education, the local business fraternity and parents of learners have also been invited to help craft a collective future for public education in Bela-Bela. Deliberation sessions would be held and an action plan would be adopted at the summit to guide BBEAG and its stakeholders.


 According to Tshepo Matjila, the Programme Coordinator for BBEAG, ‘BBEAG is a non-government organisation, apolitical, a-religious and anti-protest, but a pro-education formation that seeks to collaborate with all interested stakeholders in and around Bela-Bela, to help and improve the deteriorating standards of public education. ‘


 Regarding the summit Tshepo says ‘with the annual education summit we hope to convince everyone and anyone that education is a communal responsibility; therefore everyone from the gogo who is left to tend to her grandchildren to the businessman, should step up to help stem the tide of underachievement before it devours the fabric of our community. We will not abdicate our responsibility anymore.’  Registration will begin at 09:30 and refreshments will be served.


 

For more information or if you would like to attend this historic event please contact Tshepo Matjila on 076 5611 619 or Jim Lebese on 073 724 1420.

 

 

ABOUT BBEAG

The Bela-Bela Education Advocacy Group is a non-government organisation which is formed by young people from Bela-Bela in response to the education situation in their town. BBEAG’s main aim is to help the learners prepare for examinations and to motivate them for success.

 

BBEAG plans to start a comprehensive tutoring programme in Bela-Bela that would make revision classes free and accessible for matriculants, with a plan to gradually roll out to other grades. Various other intervention measures including merit awards for teachers and learners, bursary schemes and vacation school programmes would be introduced regularly on an ongoing basis.

 

For more information, please visit our website at www.belabela.yolasite.com

CONTACT INFORMATION


Organisation      :               Bela-Bela Education Advocacy Group (BBEAG)

Media Contact  :               Tshepo Matjila

Mobile Number:              +27 (0) 76 5611 619

Availability          :               08:00 – 18:00

Email address    :               kulkat2007@gmail.com

Website               :               www.belabela.yolasite.com